Although Rick Wakeman has recorded an enormous number of solo projects, this multi-region DVD-plus-CD set Rick Wakeman 2000--Live in Concert must surely be the best in terms of sheer value, quite apart from the fact that the performance is very good. Even long after the glory days of Yes and his grandiose solo albums of the 1970s Wakeman, the inventor of rock keyboards (before him there were pianists and organists, while after him there were programmers), remains a consummate performer. Taken from one of his one-man shows, in which he mixes musical items from his entire career with some expertly delivered anecdotes, there's something in this bumper parcel to please every fan. The dozen tracks on the DVD include extracts from his solo albums Henry, Arthur, Journey, some Yes music, the brilliant (and hilarious) "Nursery Rhyme Concerto" and much more, while his story about the theatre organ in Seattle is alone worth the price of the set. The extra audio CD features all the music on the show, while the DVD itself has six extra audio-only tracks plus a very funny biography and a photo gallery. --Roger Thomas

Remarkably for someone who doesn't claim to be either an actor or a professional stand-up comic, Ricky Gervais has now triumphed in both fields. Animals Live is his one-man show at London's Bloomsbury Theatre during which the star of The Office ("That's two BAFTA Awards") presents a "lecture" on the animal kingdom in a shameless bid to inherit David Attenborough's mantle, since the old boy is getting on a bit and can't last forever. The subject is loose and broad enough to allow for plenty of digressions and amiable ramblings about sex, childhood, war and, of course, more sex.

There's something of Eddie Izzard's style in Gervais's approach, especially noticeable when he dissects the Biblical Genesis story for its absurdities; and he has also learned lessons from the father of his Office co-star Lucy Davis, Jasper Carrott. In the best segment, and one that's pure Carrott Confidential, Gervais reads out genuine animal "facts" from a website and comments gleefully upon them. Although his range is limited--he's neither an impressionist nor a mimic--Gervais gets by on a mixture of easygoing charm and bare-faced cheek, which in a short show of about an hour is all he needs to keep everyone laughing. --Mark Walker